At stages this year the defense has been downright embarrasing. Can anybody remember seeing a team score a 83yard touchdown run on the opening play of a playoff game in the NFL. I thought it was bad against New Orleans earlier in the year and at other stages including all the 4th quarter meltdowns but I thought BB may have had another one of his intricate schemes up his sleeve for the playoffs. How can a coach who has made his living in the NFL as a defensive genius turn out such an appalling d?. Was it Crennel all along as the defensive master mind? The team has really slipped on the defensive side of the ball and must score some goals both on F/A and through this years draft to quickly rebuild on the defense. It is no use having a hall of fame quarterback behind such a bad defense. Even a great QB like Brady has to have the confidence that the D can hold a lead or win the occasional game. The pressure is too much on the QB and offense to score every time they get the ball with a bad defense.

Brad try having a look here you might be singing a slightly different tune.

As far as the wildcard game. The Patriots "team" did not show up. It had nothing to do with scheme. I don't think there is a DC in the NFL that doesn't have enough knowledge to call up a run defense in the head set. The players have to do the job. Wilfork had like 13 tackles. He's not suppose to be making all the tackles. That's not his usual responsibility in the 3-4. They did not show up and it had nothing to do with DC or scheme. The Ravens did not do anything innovative, creative or tricky.

The D got flat out pushed around.

They also were not helped out early in the game with Brady and the offense turning the ball over three times in the 1st quarter giving the ravens starting field position deep inside the NE end of the field.

I can't remember turning the ball over three times in one quarter either-- in fact that was statistically the worst offensive quarter NE has had under BB. Think about that.

If the offense doesn't fail miserably then it isn't an issue.

Even a series of 3 & outs (total ineptitude BTW) would have kept the game close enough, compared to giving the opposing team three free shots from the redzone.

However, even if the defense hadn't allowed TDs inside the redzone and only gimme FGs, a swing of 8 pts which is the best you could possibly hope for, the game would still have been lost.

It was an eerie reminder of the loss in the Superbowl.

The *fact* is that New England's offense has scored a total of 28 pts in their last two playoff games, and turned the ball over four times. You don't win football games turning the ball over more times than you score.

And it is embarrassing. NE giving up one big running play, or failing to stop them on a sequence of two downs, is not nearly as large a cause for concern.

Was it the best performance by a NE defense in the playoffs? No. But it was likely better than, say, the performance against the Panthers in the SB when they won.

And if you think adding one player to the defense fixes things, it is wrong. The offense likely needs four or five players just to get to a point where they can play on the same field as a defense like the Ravens'.

Except for some major "mistakes" the Defense played well. I know it is everyone's pet peeve when big plays get made because of players not communicating or making mistakes, but as a whole the unit did play good throughout the season. It one of those things that they can play a solid game but if they give up one or two play everyone remembers the bad not all the three and outs they did hold the opposite tem too.

I think we where lucky in the past our D very rearly made mistakes or gave up big scoring plays. I think it is more of a learning curve on this young D that will hopefully be squashed next season.